Boost for Lincolnshire Cricket Grounds

Martin Deansin Cricket

A substantial grant from Sport England is set to benefit Lincolnshire cricket grounds. The county branch of the Cricket Groundsman's Association has received almost £10,000 to fund training and development of current and future groundsmen. And Lincolnshire could also benefit further from the provision of additional equipment (formerly known as the ECB Trailer).

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"It took 13 months of form filling to satisfy the funding bodies, but we will now be able to provide training courses free of charge, " County Pitch Inspector and CGA Chairman Martin Deans explained. "Groundsmen only have to pay for their membership of the CGA, just £10 a year, to be able to attend. We also hope to further develop the CGA web presence to provide on line advice and education".

"This award was made possible by the hard work of many people including David Carter Associates who helped with the grant application and I would like to thank David for his hard work and perseverance in the application process. I would also like to thank the sponsors of the CGA. Without their support we would not have been able to table this bid, they have had a huge part to play in our success."

The next phase will see the CGA approach training providers to design courses that will best suit the needs of the county's groundsmen. The plan is to hold two day courses in the north and south of the county in early spring, followed by post-season autumn courses.

The objective will be to further develop the groundsman's professional aptitude in pitch preparation and care and club are welcome to identify an individual who would like to get involved in groundsmanship, either on a voluntary basis or professionally and who would like to one day assume the role of groundsman.

The delegates who successfully complete the courses will be awarded with an internationally recognised certificate. Those interested are asked to make contact via email at martindeans@btinternet.com.

"The majority of Lincolnshire grounds are served by retired people or a volunteer who at some point may no longer be able to carry out on a regular basis the rigorous requirements of grounds preparation," Martin said. "This therefore would be a great opportunity of further introduction into the industry for others in the clubs and a chance to develop the knowledge required in cricket ground preparation".

Further information on this award will be available at the next meeting of the CGA which takes place at Lindum Cricket Club on the October 29 at 7.30pm. The speaker will be David Carter from DG Associates, the grant writer for this successful bid. He will explain to delegates the finer details of the award and what clubs need to do to be successful in obtaining their own funds.

www.lincolnshireccc.play-cricket.com

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